“What you need, Gil?”
“Scissors. Lots of them.”
I walked out into the hallway and toward the teacher’s lounge where we stored supplies we could use and share. There were boxes of crayons, markers, glue, scissors, tape, and cleaner. I got two boxes of scissors and he got the glue, but before we headed out of the empty room, he stopped me near the door by putting one hand out and resting it on my hip. His face was serious—all hard lines and a firm mouth, and anxiety had my throat closing up.
“What is it?”
“I’m so glad I met you.” He looked around the room before dropping a slow, wonderfully teasing kiss on my mouth. He tasted like coffee and perfection, and I leaned into the embrace. “I know we shouldn’t do this at work, but I had to. You helped my sister. That’s…” He stopped, shook his head with a little smile, and ran his thumb over my bottom lip. “Moving back to this town made me nervous. Was worried I wouldn’t like it or feel stifled. But damn, teaching next to you has been worth it.”
“Christopher.” My damn eyes were stinging again.
He smirked, like he knew the absolute chaos raging inside my heart, and he let his finger drop when someone approached the door. We didn’t say anything else when we made the way back to my room, and we dropped the materials off at my activity table. The kids were going to lose their mind with this activity. They loved it, every year, and even if Samantha was assigned to my room, it would be too chaotic for her to do anything damaging.
Or so I hoped.
Despite her beingin my room, Samantha was uncharacteristically quiet most of the day. She was kind to the students, which was the only redeeming quality she had in her gold-digging body, and as long as she treated the kids with respect and kindness, I wouldn’t glitter glue her ass. The last student left for the day, and once he was out the door, I shut it and turned to face her. She was at least helping me clean up the mess, but there was no way there wasn’t an ulterior motive.
“You’re done, Samantha. I’m not paying you a dime after the shit you pulled. Tell Fritz, Christopher. I don’t care. You came aftermy careerwhen you know how much this means to me.” My voice shook a bit as I stared down someone who I had thought was a good friend. A woman I thought would be my sister-in-law. Her eyes got wide, and she took a step back from me.
Good.
“You can attempt all your blackmailing and bullshit, but it is done. You are not worth a penny.”
“I’ll get back with Fritz,” she said, lacking all her normal confidence and bravado that made me waltz around like she was in charge. That was no more.
Dave said I couldn’t get fired from those pictures.
Fritz was interested in another woman.
Christopher…well, I had to tell him before she did.
“No, you won’t.” I laughed and crossed my arms over my chest in a power move. “What are you going to tell him? Oh,your sister paid me money to leave.He’ll see right through it. Why would you take my money?”
“I’ll make something up. I’ll say you threatened me.”
“Why would I do that when I was helping him pick out a goddamn engagement ring?” I said back, my adrenaline making me feel invincible. How the hell did I let this woman rule my mind the last month? She had nothing. No power but her empty threats and two lies that I could fix. Fritz might be pissed at me, but there was no excuse for her leaving.
She flinched and blinked really fast, her attention moving to the wall I shared with Christopher. “I’ll tell him.”
“Right, because he wouldn’t understand the power of sibling love. You heard him talk about his sister. Why wouldn’t he side with me?” I asked, almost believing my own words. “End this scam. You will not win.”
Samantha’s lip curved up into a terrifying scowl, and her hands shook. “Fuck you, princess. You don’t deserve this life.”
She stormed toward me, and I readied myself for a punch or a slap or something, but it didn’t come. She burst through the door, and her footsteps disappeared into the hallway.
Holy shit.
In our constant back and forth, I’d won that round, and damn, it felt good. I leaned against the door and took a deep breath, confident in what I told her. Fritz and Christopher would forgive me. I knew it. But I still had to tell them before it was too late.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Dinnerwith the Callahans was nothing like the ones Fritz and I had growing up. We had fancy tablecloths and extra silverware. There were always guests and proper dinner conversation. We took turns speaking, and we had to ask to be dismissed from the table.
The Callahans were loud and messy, and it was beautiful. Christopher’s mom would talk over their dad, and Kayla would interrupt with something absolutely off topic. They each played a different role within their familial unit and seeing them all together made me miss my parents.
They weren’t neglectful or anything, but they lived abroad and traveled all around the world, often too busy to visit. That’s how my upbringing was until high school. Traveling and never being in one place too long. Seeing Christopher smile at his mom or joke around with his dad—even though he was frustrated with his dad’s behavior—just showed how much love the man had for his family. He wouldn’t let his mom carry anything to the table from the kitchen, and his manners just made him sexier.
“My little girl…a teacher like her brother. Isn’t that something?” their dad, Curt, said, patting Kayla’s hand a few times before going back to their pizza. He was built like Christopher, strong and lean, and had graying dark hair that fell over his forehead. His smile was a lot like his son’s, tight but lit up his face.
